Baldur's Gate 8: Screw the System

OK, so I've made some bones with the Gnolls, and got the Knock spell (which has already earned me considerable loot, even if the loot is still in bitsy pieces at the moment). Now it's time to make some money.

I headed north to tackle the Ankhegs. These are enormous bugs that live underground in this area. Slaughtering one and getting it's shell, plus whatever little goodie is buried with it, can rack up the cash. Ankheg shells sell for 500 coins apiece in Beregost. 

However, a snag occurs: we are warned that we can only take four (4) Ankheg shells per party. In the old game it used to be ten. Fuggidaboudit. I'm taking as many as I can get. I'm tired of being poor in this game, and the two mage robes I need are going to cost upwards of 30,000 coins, not to mention a buncha spells and enhanced equipment.

I saved a game at the four Ankheg limit, but I have pressed on. I've also stashed one shell in Kagain's shop for my Ankheg armor. Once you order the armor you can't sell any more shells according to the FAQ. So far, nobody's stopped me and my reputation remains at 20. I suspect (just suspect) that unless you're stopped with more than four Ankheg shells in your party at one time you're OK. I can't carry more than two at a time anyway (they weigh 100 lbs each). I think I'll test that theory next time I play. 

I've got ten of 'em now. Am planning to get as many as I can before I have the armor made. Am racking up the cash.

They are, however, fairly tough fights:

Big Bug. Intimidating.

However, Ajantis is such a tank now that he's rarely injured. Neither is Emerald, thanks to that incredible 92 score I got for her during her character creation. It happens occasionally, but they're both pretty tough characters now, both at level four. Kivan gets hurt more often if I let him get into the fray instead of shooting arrows, so I want to get him some Bracers of Defense and some plate mail. That ought to help.

I continue to be impressed with the level of detail in this 15-year old game. Fish jump in the river. Butterflies flutter around flowers. Squirrels and chickens and cats and dogs wander around. Bald eagles and hawks fly overhead. Rain and snow falls, and lightening strikes. Kivan complains, "Why do we crawl about underground like Dwarven folk?" only when we're in a cave (as in the above pic). 

Another interesting thing happened. Neera stopped Emerald and said that she needed help with the wildness of her spells. She knows of an old wild mage in another area that can help her, and bingo, that area is automatically added to the world map once I say we'll go there. 

Plus, I finally got a fun wild mage surge on one of Neera's spells. It turned her into a wolf for a brief period. That was fine. She helped kill the Ankheg.

So now I'm glad indeed that I kept Neera in the party. 

Tomorrow, more Ankhegs. It's getting a bit tedious, but it's worth the money.

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